Refurbishing Plans for Cleveland Middle School Library Media Center The library media center at Cleveland Middle school has four work tables for students, six private work/testing desks, and only sixteen computers for student use. The work tables are spread out throughout the library, making it difficult to address whole classes at one time. The study/private work desks are in the extreme back corner of the library in an almost “you’re in trouble” kind of setting. The computers are set up very close together, making partner work difficult, and because there are only sixteen computers for student use, there are not enough units for a whole class (unless it is a small one) to work individually on the computers at one time. The books are arranged and labeled on shelves throughout the library, but because the Sequoyah winners and paperback books are separate from the rest of the fictional novels (and separate from each other), and because these special sections are not labeled in the online card catalog, students often get confused when searching for a book. There is no soft spot for the students to simply relax and read. The most inviting part of the library is the library media specialist, who is always extremely helpful and friendly with the students. However, given the interior features of the library, there are many refurnishing plans that could be done to create a much more student and teacher friendly library media center. In her presentation, Designing a Facility: Making It a Place Where Every Student Succeeds, Gail Formanack identifies several spaces that need to be considered and accommodated for when designing a library media center. Included in these spaces are an informal reading and browsing area, which the Cleveland Middle School library does not have at all. Formanack also suggests including a story telling area, but more for an elementary school setting. In a middle school library, a soft spot would be inviting for students to simply relax and read as time permits. This soft spot area could be designed using a dorm rug and bean bag chairs. In the article, Design Considerations for School Library Media Centers, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction also supports the idea that a library media center should accommodate a space for booktalks and storytelling. In a middle school setting, such as in Cleveland Middle School library media center, having a specific area for relaxing and reading could also double as a comfortable spot to do booktalks. Formanack also discusses the importance of planning for adequate technology use. In today’s technological society, the library media center, is, or should be, a place where students can come to have access to word processing programs such as Microsoft Word, as well as the Internet, or any other technological systems/programs they might need for school and research. Having adequate access to such programs supports the ALA standards for Information Literacy as well as the NETS standards for technology literacy. Additional research supports Formanack’s idea that it is important to plan for technology. In their power point presentation, Impact of Technology on School Facility Design, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, says that there should be approximately 15-21 square feet for each computer workstation, plus printer space. “This allows for space for the computer and monitor, keyboard, mouse and space for books or papers”(p.2). Although the Cleveland Middle School is fortunate to have any computers at all, because many schools do not, the library media center would be better designed if there were enough computers for whole classes to use at the same time (without having to be in partners), as well as adequate space at each workstation. By refurbishing the computer workstations by making more room and adding more computers for student use, the library media center at Cleveland Middle School would better accommodate students. The third and final refurbishing design that would most benefit the Cleveland Middle School library media center would be to create a much more student and teacher friendly instructional area. Both Formanack and The Wisconsin Department of Pubic Instruction list a study and research, small group, or instructional area as a necessity in effective library media center design. According to Formanack, this teaching area “should have a blackboard or whiteboard and audiovisual screen for presentations”(n.p). The Cleveland Middle School library, as previously mentioned, has student work tables for small groups to work at but they are spread out across the library. When addressing a whole class is difficult for everyone to hear and see short of the teacher yelling across the library, it is difficult to instruct. A better design would be for small tables to be in one area of the library, with access to a chalkboard or whiteboard, so that whole classes can sit together, but still be separated into small groups for partner or group work. Although there are several other minor refurbishing ideas that could be implemented to make a much more student friendly media center, these three ideas listed above are the most necessary ones. Cleveland Middle School’s library could also benefit from creating a student showcase area where students can proudly display their work and efforts. The small size of the media center, unfortunately, restricts the ability to implement many of these refurbishing ideas. However, perhaps in the future the school can work towards a grant for adding on to the building and creating a much more student and teacher friendly library media center.
Refurbishing Ideas:
Refurbishing Plans for Cleveland Middle School Library Media Center
The library media center at Cleveland Middle school has four work tables for students, six private work/testing desks, and only sixteen computers for student use. The work tables are spread out throughout the library, making it difficult to address whole classes at one time. The study/private work desks are in the extreme back corner of the library in an almost “you’re in trouble” kind of setting. The computers are set up very close together, making partner work difficult, and because there are only sixteen computers for student use, there are not enough units for a whole class (unless it is a small one) to work individually on the computers at one time. The books are arranged and labeled on shelves throughout the library, but because the Sequoyah winners and paperback books are separate from the rest of the fictional novels (and separate from each other), and because these special sections are not labeled in the online card catalog, students often get confused when searching for a book. There is no soft spot for the students to simply relax and read. The most inviting part of the library is the library media specialist, who is always extremely helpful and friendly with the students. However, given the interior features of the library, there are many refurnishing plans that could be done to create a much more student and teacher friendly library media center.
In her presentation, Designing a Facility: Making It a Place Where Every Student Succeeds, Gail Formanack identifies several spaces that need to be considered and accommodated for when designing a library media center. Included in these spaces are an informal reading and browsing area, which the Cleveland Middle School library does not have at all. Formanack also suggests including a story telling area, but more for an elementary school setting. In a middle school library, a soft spot would be inviting for students to simply relax and read as time permits. This soft spot area could be designed using a dorm rug and bean bag chairs. In the article, Design Considerations for School Library Media Centers, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction also supports the idea that a library media center should accommodate a space for booktalks and storytelling. In a middle school setting, such as in Cleveland Middle School library media center, having a specific area for relaxing and reading could also double as a comfortable spot to do booktalks.
Formanack also discusses the importance of planning for adequate technology use. In today’s technological society, the library media center, is, or should be, a place where students can come to have access to word processing programs such as Microsoft Word, as well as the Internet, or any other technological systems/programs they might need for school and research. Having adequate access to such programs supports the ALA standards for Information Literacy as well as the NETS standards for technology literacy. Additional research supports Formanack’s idea that it is important to plan for technology. In their power point presentation, Impact of Technology on School Facility Design, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, says that there should be approximately 15-21 square feet for each computer workstation, plus printer space. “This allows for space for the computer and monitor, keyboard, mouse and space for books or papers”(p.2). Although the Cleveland Middle School is fortunate to have any computers at all, because many schools do not, the library media center would be better designed if there were enough computers for whole classes to use at the same time (without having to be in partners), as well as adequate space at each workstation. By refurbishing the computer workstations by making more room and adding more computers for student use, the library media center at Cleveland Middle School would better accommodate students.
The third and final refurbishing design that would most benefit the Cleveland Middle School library media center would be to create a much more student and teacher friendly instructional area. Both Formanack and The Wisconsin Department of Pubic Instruction list a study and research, small group, or instructional area as a necessity in effective library media center design. According to Formanack, this teaching area “should have a blackboard or whiteboard and audiovisual screen for presentations”(n.p). The Cleveland Middle School library, as previously mentioned, has student work tables for small groups to work at but they are spread out across the library. When addressing a whole class is difficult for everyone to hear and see short of the teacher yelling across the library, it is difficult to instruct. A better design would be for small tables to be in one area of the library, with access to a chalkboard or whiteboard, so that whole classes can sit together, but still be separated into small groups for partner or group work.
Although there are several other minor refurbishing ideas that could be implemented to make a much more student friendly media center, these three ideas listed above are the most necessary ones. Cleveland Middle School’s library could also benefit from creating a student showcase area where students can proudly display their work and efforts. The small size of the media center, unfortunately, restricts the ability to implement many of these refurbishing ideas. However, perhaps in the future the school can work towards a grant for adding on to the building and creating a much more student and teacher friendly library media center.